Comprehension for practice

A) Read the passage carefully and then answer the questions.

Once there was a miser who sold all his possessions and, with the

money, bought a great lump of gold, dug a deep hole at the edge of

the garden, and there he buried his gold. Once a day, thereafter, the

miser went to the park, dug up his gold, and embraced it lovingly.

One of the miser’s workmen wondered why his master spent so much

time in the garden. One day, he hid behind a tree and soon discovered

the secret of the hidden treasure. That night, when the miser was fast

asleep, the workman crept into the garden and stole the lump of gold.

When the miser found that his gold was gone, he tore his hair and

cried aloud in despair. A neighbour came running to see what the

matter was, and the grief-stricken miser told him what had happened.

Then the neighbours said, “Pray to stop your weeping. Go and find a

stone. Place the stone in the hole and imagine that it is your lump of

gold. The stone will serve your purpose, for you never meant to use

the gold anyway.” “To a miser, what he has is of no more use than

what he has not.”

1. How did the miser get the lump of gold?

a. By selling all he had

b. While digging the garden?

c. From his ancestors

d. From his neighbour

2. Why did Miser spend so much time in the garden?

a. He was a nature lover.

b. He liked watching children playing in the garden.

c. To keep an eye on his hidden treasure.

d. To change the place of his lump of gold.

3. By whom was the gold stolen?

a. A thief

b. His neighbour

c. The miser’s workman

d. The miser himself

4. The neighbour advised the miser to put a stone in the hole because

____.

a. Gold is like a stone only.

b. The miser would never use the gold, hence there is no difference

between the two.

c. The stone will become gold after some time.

d. For a wise man, gold and stone have equal worth.

5. Choose the most appropriate title for this story.

a. Gold and Stone

b. The Miser and His Gold

c. The Miser and His Neighbour

d. The Miser and His workman

Read the passage carefully and then answer the questions.

My next pet was a pigeon, the most revolting bird to look at, with his

feathers pushing through the wrinkled scarlet skin, mixed with the

horrible yellow down that covers baby pigeons and makes them look

as though they have been peroxiding their hair. Because of his

repulsive and obese appearance, we called him Quasimodo. Since he

had an unorthodox upbringing, without parents to teach him,

Quasimodo became convinced that he was not a bird at all, and

refused to fly. He walked everywhere. He was always eager to join us

in anything we did.

He would even try to come for walks with us. So you had to either

carry him on your shoulder, which was risking an accident to your

clothes, or else you let him walk behind. If you let him walk, then you

had to slow down your own pace to suit him, for should you get too

far ahead, you would hear the most frantic and imploring coos and

turn around to find Quasimodo running desperately after you.

1. The narrator describes the pigeon as a ‘revolting bird’ because

(a) He could not fly

(b) He had to be carried everywhere

(c) He had wrinkled skin covered with yellow feathers

(d) He was fat

2. Quasimodo got his name because

(a) He was fat and ugly

(b) He was attractive

(c) He could not fly

(d) He loves behaving like human beings

3. We know that Quasimodo was always eager to go on walks

because

(a) He walked everywhere

(b) He did not know how to fly

(c) He complained loudly if he was not taken along

(d) He always copied whatever humans did

4. Quasimodo protested when he was

(a) Left at home

(b) Lifted on human shoulders

(c) Taken for a walk

(d) Left behind during walks.

5. The phrase ‘risking an accident to your clothes’ means

(a) The bird pecked at their clothes

(b) There was a chance of the bird soiling their clothes

(c) The bird risked a fall

(d) The bird did not like their clothes

Read the passage carefully and then answer the questions.

A telephone conversation between two friends, Sanjay and Pankaj,

took place on a Thursday

afternoon.

Sanjay: Hello Pankaj. How are you? You have been absent from

school for the last 2 days.

Pankaj: Hi Şanjay! I had food poisoning. Anyway, I’m better now and

will be going back to school tomorrow.

Sanjay: Did you eat something which was contaminated?

Pankaj: Well, I took fried oyster and some noodles at the food centre

on Tuesday night. Most likely, it was the former. It could not have

been the chicken rice or fish balls I took to our school canteen during

recess.

Sanjay: Oh, I see.

Pankaj: Can you please tell me if there’s any homework to be done?

Sanjay: Yes, Mrs Boon is going to conduct a Science test for our class

tomorrow.

Pankaj: Thanks for letting me know. Did she say which chapters will

be tested?

Sanjay: Yes, she did. The test is going to cover the chapters on

“Magnets”, “Classification of Materials” and “Life Cycles of Plants”.

Pankaj: That’s a relief. I am only unfamiliar with the chapter on

“Magnets”. A quick revision is all I’ll need. Thanks and see you

tomorrow.

Sanjay: You’re welcome. Bye and take care.

1. What does Pankaj want to know about the class from Sanjay?

(a) Mrs Boon had given the class some homework.

(b) Mrs Boon was going to conduct a class test.

(c) There was going to be a class test.

(d) There was any homework.

2. Sanjay and Pankaj are

(a) Best friends

(b) Schoolmates

(c) Neighbours

(d) Classmates

3. Why was Pankaj relieved upon learning the chapters to be tested?

She was relieved because

(a) She had already studied all the chapters thoroughly.

(b) She was good at the subject.

(c) She had already studied one of the chapters to be tested.

(d) She was familiar with two of the chapters to be tested.

4. What did Pankaj suspect was the cause of her food poisoning? She

suspected that it was the ___ which she had eaten.

(a) Noodles

(b) Fishballs

(c) Fried oysters

(d) Chicken rice

5. On which days was Pankaj absent from school? She was absent on

(a) Monday and Tuesday

(b) Tuesday and Wednesday

(c) Wednesday and Thursday

(d) Thursday and Friday

Read the passage carefully and then answer the questions.

Newspapers are our good friends. Life without Newspapers is a

waste. Newspapers bring us news and views from all corners of the

world. Any incident or occurrence of importance that

takes place as reported by the newspapers. The word ‟NEWS‟ is

interpreted as North, East,

West and South. It means that the newspaper provides us with

information and news regarding various subjects from all directions.

Newspapers also give us articles on all kinds of topics such as

political, social, economic, monetary, business, commerce, sports,

education, health etc. Newspapers publish advertisements that attract

the attention of customers.

They also contain book reviews of literary, historical and other books

by scholars. Newspapers are of different types. Some newspapers are

published daily. They are called “Dailies‟. We must cultivate the

habit of reading newspapers to know what is happening around the

globe. The one who reads newspapers and interprets editorial pages

can only be a master in current affairs and general knowledge.

Reading newspapers helps you to find out what news is and how it is

written. The one who dreams of being a journalist should not spare a

day without reading the newspaper. They should be aware of the

editorial and be well-versed in vocabulary. We will get to know news

from all the countries if we read newspapers regularly. If we are

reading the newspapers seriously, it will also help to shine in

competitive examinations.

1. What kind of articles are published in newspapers?

a) Educational and health-related

b) Political, social, sports and games related

c) Economic monetary, business, commerce related

d) All the above

2. What are the benefits of reading an editorial page?

a) One can become a businessman

b) One can become a poet

c) One can get mastery in current affairs

d) One can pass the elite exam

3. Newspapers publish advertisements attract:

a) Attention of foreigners

b) Attention of tourists

c) Attention of customers

d) Attention of air hostess

4. How do newspapers help the students?

a) He can get knowledge of current affairs

b) He can shine in competitive examinations

c) He can enhance his vocabulary

d) All the above

5. Who is a journalist?

a) Daily news reader

b) Press reporter

c) Book reviewer

d) Script editor

Read the passage carefully and then answer the questions.

Dry fruits are useful in various diseases of the brain, muscles and

tissues. Almonds have unique properties to remove brain weakness

and strengthen it. Almonds preserve the vitality of the brain,

strengthen the muscles, and destroy diseases originating from nervous

and bilious disorders. Walnut is another dry fruit that possesses

wonderful qualities of curing brain weakness. According to Dr

Johnson, almonds, figs, grapes, dates, apples, and oranges are rich in

phosphoric elements and should normally be used by brain workers.

Phosphorus nourishes the vital tissues of the body. It keeps the mind

full of enthusiasm for more work.

1. Dry fruits are useful because they

(a) Strengthen our heart

(b) Cure various diseases of the brain, muscles and tissues

(c) Give confidence to us

(d) Empower us to do challenging tasks.

2. Which one is not a property of almonds?

(a) It preserves the vitality of the brain

(b) It strengthens the muscles

(c) It destroys diseases originating from nervous and bilious disorders

(d) It strengthens our digestive system.

3. Phosphoric element is profusely found in

(a) Almonds, figs, grapes, dates, apples and oranges

(b) Almonds, figs, papayas, guavas and pineapples

(c) All the green vegetables

(d) Seasonal fruits.

4. Brain workers should take fruits rich in phosphoric elements

because

(a) They remove brain weakness

(b) They nourish the vital tissues of the body

(c) They keep their mind full of enthusiasm

(d) All the above.

5. The word “Unique” means the same as

(a) Ordinary

(b) Highly qualified

(c) Unusual

(d) Distinctive

Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that

follow by choosing the most appropriate option from the

choices given.

After two more exams in 2005, Abdul Shukoor's father

expressed his inability to help him study further. The

circumstances at home were compelling. His father K

Moidutty, who eked out a living from a small shop, told

him "If you decide to study, it will go on for many years. I

have very little income. You should either go to the Gulf or

learn to drive."

That was a common practice in their neighbourhood in

Ongallur, recalls Shukoor; who now has a government job

as a Higher Secondary School teacher, having completed a

master's degree in Malayalam and acquired B.Ed. "Higher

education was the last priority, least of all for a subject like

Malayalam, as job opportunities were less."

So, he went to a workshop. But his heavy constitution

made it difficult to go under vehicles to repair them. After a

few months, he moved to a medical shop. "I worked there

as a salesman, my sole income for a decade since 2006. I

haven’t taken a single rupee from my family for my studies

after Plus Two," he says.

i)Abdul Shukoor's father ______________.

a) kept a shop

b) went to the gulf

c) was a driver

d) had a government job

ii) At present Abdul Shukoor works as a _____________.

a) teacher

b) mechanic

c) salesman

d) shopkeeper

iii) Which of the following statements is true?

a) Job opportunities were less for those who did higher

education in Malayalam.

b) Shukoor had to depend on his father for higher education.

c) Shukoor's father wanted him to become a teacher.

d) Shukoor worked in a medical shop for 5 years.

iv) Which word in the passage means

'forcing to do something'? a) inability

b) compelling

c) eked out

d) priority

v) Abdul Shukoor was _____ to work in a workshop on

account of his heavy constitution.

a) able

b) unable

c) helped

d) allowed

2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions

that follow by choosing the most appropriate answer from

the options given.

One member of a group of elephants that left a nature

reserve and wandered close to cities in China's southwest

has been tranquillized and returned to the reserve after

leaving the herd. The elephants attract nationwide attention

after they left the reserve in Yunnan province last year and

walked more than 500 Km(300 miles) north. They reached

the outskirt of Kunming before turning south, but still are

far from the reserve. A lone male that left the herd over a

month ago was captured on Wednesday near the city of

Yuxi and sent back to the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve,

about 280 Km away. The 10-year-old, 1.8-ton elephant had

stayed near populated areas since Monday, prompting the

decision to send it back to the reserve to reduce the risk to

the public.

i) A suitable title for the passage is ________.

a) Jumbo in danger

b) Elephants leave reserve

c) Wandering jumbo rescued

d) China's nature reserve

ii) The elephants left the reserve________

a) last month

b) last week

c) last year

d) last month iii) The word 'tranquillized' means

a) refreshed

b) made calm or unconscious

c) motivated

d) energized

iv) The elephant that left the herd was _________

a) a lone male elephant

b) alone female elephant

c) a and a half-year-old elephant

d) a ten-ton elephant

v) What step was taken to reduce the risk to the public?

a) The elephant was made to stay in the city

b) The elephant was made to leave the herd

c) The elephant was sent back to the reserved

d) none of these.

4. Read the passage given below and answer the questions

that follow

Food can maintain and save a life. It can destroy life as

well. Proper food serves as medicine, improper food

works as poison. A little care about the quality and

quantity of food will keep us healthy and happy. If we go

about eating all sorts of things, we shall become sick.

We take pride in calling ourselves civilized. Being

sensible means knowing the difference between good and

bad, right and wrong. It will not become slaves to our

tongue or taste. Even cattle, birds and beasts eat only what

is best for their body. We mostly eat processed food and

refined sugar. We pay heavily for junk food, Chinese

dishes or deep-fried snacks. As a result, we catch diseases.

We have drifted away from mother nature. We laugh at the

rules of hygiene, healthy diet and the advice of our elders.

This has given rise to diabetes.

We offer chocolates, cakes and ice creams too often to our

children. We also attend parties or dine out every day.

This way we invite obesity and diabetes.

1. Answer the following questions briefly:

2. (a) What are the functions of food?

(b) What is meant by ‘improper food’?

(c) What does ‘civilised life’ imply?

(d) Explain: We have drifted away from nature.

(e) How do modern lifestyle and food habits affect us?

3. Find words from the passage that mean

the same as:

(a) being fat

(b) cleanliness